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| Shane Morris |
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 183 lbs.
High school: Warren (MI) De La Salle
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #7
Last year: Morris was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 87.
Morris had quite an up-and-down senior campaign. After committing during his sophomore year, he participated in Nike's The Opening in July 2012, was chosen for the Elite 11 championships, and played in the Under Armour All-America Game. He did well during the 7-on-7 portion of The Opening, did okay at the Elite 11, and didn't fare too well at the all-star game. To be fair, none of the quarterbacks looked good at the UA game. In between those events, he played a little more than half of his senior football season due to being diagnosed with mononucleosis mid-season.
Morris has a very strong arm and decent athleticism. He reminds me a little bit of Chad Henne as a freshman, who threw everything as hard as he could and suffered some incompletions, interceptions, and broken up passes as a result. Morris has that same kind of arm strength, and from what I've seen, he generally only looks to his left. On top of being unable to enroll early (his high school wouldn't allow him to graduate in December), he will have to work past some of his own weaknesses to improve his vision, pre-snap reads, and decision making. Normally a backup quarterback would be higher on this list, but I'm not sure that Morris will be much more ready than someone like walk-on Brian Cleary, and there's also the possibility that Russell Bellomy will return from his torn ACL in time to play at some point this year. I believe Morris will see the field this year, if only in garbage time to prepare him for a starting gig; if current starter Devin Gardner has an outstanding season, he could leave early for the NFL and someone like Morris must be prepared to take over. But if Michigan loses Gardner for any stretch of time, I think the team will be in serious trouble.
Prediction: #2 quarterback unless/until Russell Bellomy returns from injury
I think he is 7, not 12.
ReplyDeleteI think he should be ranked higher due to the possibility that Gardner goes down with injury and Morris is forced into significant game action (knock on wood). Hopefully this doesn't happen because well, Nebraska...
ReplyDelete/fetal position in the corner.
I see what you're saying, but I don't think Morris will be very good this year, so he's not very important right now. If he has to play in crunch, Michigan's offense is probably going to go down the toilet. So there's not much of a difference between him, Bellomy, Cleary, etc.
DeleteWhat would you estimate the chances that Gardner puts together a season that makes him a candidate for a high level draft pick int he 2014 draft? I put it at less than 2 on a scale to 100.
ReplyDeleteI think Devin Gardner is going to have a fine season and be a candidate for an all Big 10 selection, but i can't envision the Heisman ... esque season for Gardiner that would drive him to the NFL.
With regards to Morris, I'd really like to see him get on the field this year in mop up time, demonstrate some growth in his game and put a recovered Russell Bellomy square in his rear view mirror mostly becauseI if college game experience is anywhere near equal when they finally duel for the starting position I think that Morris is gonna find it real tough to stay in front of Wilton Speight.
I'm not sure he'll be able to keep Speight on the bench under any set of circumstances.
If you extrapolate Gardner's statistics from last year over a full season, I think that could be a good enough season to make him consider leaving for the NFL. He would have 3,015 yards passing, 24 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 231 rushing yards, and 21 rushing touchdowns. It wouldn't be Heisman-worthy or #1 overall-worthy, and statistics don't tell the whole story. But it all depends on the kid and what he wants to do. I don't expect Gardner to leave, but the possibility is there.
DeleteE.J. Manuel was a first rounder with 3,392 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Good topic for discussion. As Thunder started to say, it's worth distinguishing NFL draft stock and college performance. Winning a Heisman is only moderately related to NFL potential (see: Smith, Crouch, Weinke, etc.) It's more about the stats and Devin is very unlikely to put up stand-out stats. His only chance at getting in the Heisman conversation is Michigan being undefeated (or close to it) behind his leadership and maybe a few highlight plays in big moments.
DeleteDevin could have a very good season, not sniff the Heisman (which is oriented towards gaudy stats), and still be drafted very highly. I don't think anyone outside the Michigan fanbase is expecting a go-pro type season from Devin, but it's going to be more about what he wants to do than anything else.
Even if he has a great year, NFL scouts may see Gardner as a bit risky with only one full year of starting under his belt. Gardner has a way to go in some of the fundamentals, and I just don't see him fixing everything in one off-season.
DeleteHey Painter Smurf, I think Mark Sanchez would like to have a word with you. And while you two are talking, Ryan Tannehill might chime in once or twice.
DeleteNFL scouts will often draft based on potential, not just results. The Lions picked up Ziggy Ansah this year with their first round pick. A workout warrior who hasn't even played 4 years of football in his life period. Not saying that was a good pick or anything, but if Gardner shows he has a strong and accurate arm, and puts up 3000+ yards with a decent TD:INT ratio, he could leave being drafted in the first round. That would be detrimental to the team in my opinion, but it could happen.
-JC
Agree with JC. Matt Barkley would also like to talk to you.
DeleteFrom what it sounds like Devin really is relishing the chance to start at Michigan after being on the bench for years (and from rumors around the program not working as hard as he should have in film study and such since he was frustrated by this). So now he has a chance and has embraced the leadership role. Maybe he will just give it all up if a 1st round grade is thrown at him at the end of the year but he doesnt seem like the type.
Based on his physical attributes he could be be seen as a poor man's RG3, or a more mature T. Pryor. I dont think the Heisman means a damn thing to the NFL scouts - he will have very impressive measurables and what will matter is his accuracy and decision making process, both things he sometimes lacked last year but is not surprising for someone who has had little playing time in actual game situations.
Last, this is the QB position - teams reach for anyone at that position. Think Christian Ponder. If Devin has a decent year do you not see more upside from him than 1st round pick Ponder?
As for Morris I agree with analysis, he barely had a senior year and we got spoiled by Henne around here - the stats argue for scary things with a frosh QB starting, and there is no Braylon on this roster to bailout Morris. Same issues with Gardner are there for Morris but much more pronounced - read progression and accuracy are lacking. We shall see how much they can be improved on... since it might be needed quickly.
No offense to Denard Robinson, but I think it would be tough for someone like Gardner to sit around and watch the guy ahead of him throw a bunch of incompletions and interceptions. That doesn't excuse him allegedly not working hard, but it would be a difficult situation. If the guy ahead of you isn't playing well but you're still not getting a chance, there would be all kinds of thoughts running through your head. That's the same reason I think it would have been frustrating for guys like Michael Cox, who had to sit behind Vincent Smith. If the starter can't get the job done, there's no shame in that...but if that's the case, somebody else should get a shot.
DeleteReally, we still have to deal with the idea that Denard Robinson wasn't "playing well"?
DeleteI'm all for questioning the coaches where appropriate but the continued insistence that backups like Michael Cox were better than the guys playing above them is asinine. Who is being stupid - the coaches or the guy who acts like running backs only run the ball and quarterbacks only throw it. On most plays, the running back does something other than run and the quarterback does something other than throw. This is football, not a specified skills competition.
Cox and Gardner weren't as good at playing the positions - that's why they sat.
I am completely mystified by Roanman's Speight/Morris comparison. Morris is a MUCH higher-ranked HS prospect (although admittedly a high ceiling/low floor kind of prospect) AND will have a year on Speight. How is Morris going to be in a "real tough" position re: Speight? Morris is nearly a Henne/Mallett-level prospect and Speight is below John Navarre... and, again, he'll have a year on him. It's all a roll of the dice and I wouldn't be shocked for Speight to turn into a better college QB, but if I had to bet it would be Speight who spends his career on the bench.
ReplyDeleteI think Speight has a far more accurate arm and is far more poised in the pocket (admittedly on tiny evidence) than is Morris and that Big Al will value those attributes over the big arm and mobility advantage.
DeleteI also really like Speight's pedigree.
Morris is not a Henne/Mallett level prospect in terms of rankings or offers or anything.
DeleteIt's true that Speight isn't highly ranked, but reasonable minds can disagree on evaluations of high school kids, especially when they're coming from limited information and highlight reels.
My 2 cents - Speight seems to have a nice 'feel' for a HS kid. He can throw it hard, but he also puts good touch on the ball.
Furthermore, if Morris is as good as you think Speight will probably red-shirt and have 2 years between Morris. Not exactly doomed to clipboard his entire career given our lack of proven QB depth.
Agree with Roanman here. The backbone of Morris' high ranking were his stellar sophomore campaign and his cannon arm displayed at 7 on 7 camps. Speight is ahead of him in pocket presence, accuracy, and touch. Morris has the tools to be a stud flame-thrower, but his transition to college may be more difficult than Speight's.
DeleteAccuracy is in the end the top concern for any QB aside from reading the play correctly. We all drool over arm strength and height, and athleticism but in the end the ability to make the correct diagnosis and get them ball where it needs to be is a QB's most important ability. I think many here believe Wilton already has that, and Morris doesn't - hence this discussion.
DeleteI dont see the need to constantly redshirt these guys, Michigan is going to be bringing in 1 QB a class now and each year it should be a top 20-25 caliber guy. Get them in the system, get them going, and once we get our depth restored we will go back to the day these kids start as jrs/srs and their is a battle constantly for 2nd string among sophmores/juniors.
Agree, very much, with Aaron of 10:13. At this point, I don't see how anyone could get the idea that Speight will eclipse Morris in the near term.
ReplyDeleteOn Gardner, I'll believe in his NFL future as soon as he has fully and permanently fixed his partial-shotput throwing motion. I'm partly kidding; Vince Young never fixed his and made it to the NFL (at least for a little bit).
@Anon
DeleteI love Gardner as a college player, but you're so right about that throwing motion.
All this talk lately about him going pro early ignores the fact that he's not exactly your prototypical pro-style pocket passer yet. And by "not exactly" I mean "still very far from being".
This isn't going to go over well but I think we are adults who respect other opinions even if they don't mirror their own. From what I have seen of Morris, he reminds me of Demetrius Brown(Not only because he is a lefty).Athletic for his position but far from a running qb.
ReplyDeleteThere is something about him. He still comes across as a raw talent. Looks to try and force passes downfield because he inpatient on occasion and doesn't have the finesse game as a qb. Think Denard Robinson throwing the ball because DR never really mastered the underneath routes.
I just don't love Morris. I see Demetrius Brown. I really do. I thought Demetrius Brown other than the MSU game was okay. He won 2 bowl games. I am not trying insult Morris. When I saw Gardner on film in high school I thought he had big time potential. Reminded me of Vince Young but obviously not as good of a runner but better passer. It may have taken him some time to develop and had to deal with a veteran at his position but I was much more impressed with Gardner than I was with Morris.
I will agree that I was more excited about getting Devin Gardner than I was about getting Shane Morris. I'm too young to really remember Demetrius Brown other than hearing the name/seeing pictures, so I can't speak much to comparing him and Morris.
DeleteHe was one helluva comedown after Harbaugh as he wasn't very accurate and really didn't run all that well either. He was a Schembechler game manager that did his best work handing it off to Jamie Morris and then Tony Boles behind a typical Michigan O line while splitting time with Michael Taylor, who I always thought to be the significantly better, although by no means great QB.
DeleteWe are in serious deep doo doo if Morris turns out to be Demetrius Brown.
I agree with your skepticism about Morris. Since his Junior year hype, he's done almost nothing to instill confidence in fans. He has shown good leadership though, IMO.
DeleteThat said -- let's not overevaluate his high school performance. He seems to have the raw physical skills (AS A THROWER!) to turn into a high school player. Early buzz and his senior year indicate he may take more time and not be the Henne/Forcier type of refined young player. That's OK, the list of example of players who took longer to develop is plentiful.
The only downside is the expectations that most fans have for hyped freshman can be detrimental to the player. I think tempering those expectations and being patient is a smart idea for Morris...and Bellomy as well, for that matter.
Brown and Taylor ... distant memories. I remember (faintly) thinking that they would have made a nice composite QB. Taylor didn't screw up that often but he had a Bellomy-esque arm. Brown was roughly the inverse of that.
DeleteA relative minimum between two NFL guys (Harbaugh and Grbac) ...
Michael Taylor was very accurate making the simple throws required in Bo's offense. I had forgotten about Brown's game against Sparty, but where Ricky Leach was all bringing it on one bounce like a right fielder, and an underrated one I might ad, Brown was relentlessly high and wide even on short tosses.
DeleteBrown, Leach and Steve Smith drove me nuts ..... not necessarily in that order.
I'm sure everyone would be delighted with another 160 or so rating along with that kind of production, and am equally sure that scouts would perk up a bunch over those numbers, I just don't see a kid with only 16/17 starts not hearing about "you need another year" from the guys that matter.
ReplyDeleteI also think that "buggy whip" or not, accuracy issues will surface with Gardner which while not fatal will cause everyone, including Gardner hopefully, to think another spring and twelve or so more starts would be a good thing.
Besides, I'm selfish, not ready for Freshman hijinx at the QB position quite yet and am engaging in hopeful rationalization.
But I do agree with the notion that nobody knows what a kid'll do, witness Taylor Lewan for whom I'll be holding my breath all season long.
Gardner may have trouble keeping his interceptions down to level expected of top NFL prospects, too. He was very fortunate not to have a bunch last year, as there were several drops by DB's and a few, fortunate jump balls where WR's bailed him out of bad passes. And he carried on his annual spring game tradition of putting a ball in a LB's stomach again this year.
DeleteI am excited about Gardner and think he brings a lot to the offense. He'll be the first UM QB in memory who can equally hurt teams by running or passing. I think he is getting better at his decision making when it comes to scrambles too. His first couple years, he had some ill-advised scrambles that lead to major yardage loss. Seemed more instinctive in that area last year though.
I think you nailed this one. While we'd all LIKE our backup QB to be much higher on this list, the reality is that Morris doesn't sound like he's ready to make an impact yet. Hopefully fans will be patient if he's forced into action, but that's probably wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteSaid it before and I'll say it again - skipping a QB in the '12 class was not a smart move. The program put all their eggs in the Morris basket and recruiting is a high uncertainty game.
In other news -- the #1 player this year on the countdown is going to be extremely uncontroversial. Over/under on number of "stay healthy" comments is probably in double digits.
The coaches tried to secure a commitment from an '12 QB even after Morris committed. they certainly did not put all of their eggs in his basket. They went hard after Maty Mauk & Gunner Kiel. Both chose to go elsewhere. After that, the coaches made the decision not to take a QB just for the sake of taking one. You can disagree with that decision and say that, for the purposes of depth, they should've taken a lowly regarded QB who they didn't think much of anyway but it would be incorrect to say that they didn't try to take a QB in the '12 class because they most certainly did.
DeleteI don't think I ever said they "didn't try".
DeleteThere is a big difference between their strategy at other positions, where they move on plan B, sometimes before plan A is totally off the table, and their strategy at QB.
I think Morris' high school teammates has to play a role in his development and stats. IIRC he didn't have any BCS caliber wr's on his team? How many of the top qbs in the nation are throwing to guys with BCS offers? With Green at tb, and at WORST 2 6'4 outside wr's and Freddy Canteen(plus the guys that are already on the team) and matriculation of a fantastic OL class, I think he'll (or anyone w/o a noodle for an arm) can succeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I'm not in love with DG's throwing motion either, his size and ability will make him an attractive pick to someone. Nature of the NFL. His ability is all the rage right now, even if it's a team like Washington, SF, Philly, or Seattle picking up a back-up who can replicate the starter.
Finally...being from VA, I know a few HS coaches and I have heard that Speight is the real deal. He played in the same HS league as R. Wilson, so there were questions about his level of comp, but by all firsthand accounts, he has the potential to pass Morris on the depth chart down the line.
These are weak excuses for Morris, increasingly common. Really - you have to have BCS-caliber WRs to succeed? Sure, he's going to throw to better talent in college, but he's also going to face college defenses. Anyway, Morris had a pretty decent, certainly above average for HS, target in Wangler.
DeleteNot saying Morris can't or won't be good. There's some traits I really like, but nothing in the last year plus makes you think Morris deserved the hype he got.
Morris played a lot of 7 v 7 for three years minimum, so he has thrown and thrown to D1 receivers against D1 corners.
DeleteI missed the looking left thing, but I thought for sure that he looked rusty and unsure of himself at whichever all star game I saw him in, but that should be reasonably expected as he had 8 weeks longer off than everybody else.
The thing that I did wonder about was his reaction to a rush which I didn't think was great. Having said that, I'm giving him slack for rust.
With regards to Speight, I find it instructive that out of the universe of nice QBs out there, Speight got the one offer, took it and they quit looking.
I really liked him on video, but what the hell do I know. Big Al and Hoke must have loved him because the second they had him, it was over for the rest.
@ Lanknows
DeleteMorris took part in the Elite 11 championships, did well at the 7-on-7 for The Opening, and I believe won a national 7-on-7 tournament last summer. His senior year was so-so and he didn't do particularly well in the Under Armour game, but up through the end of last summer, he was plenty deserving of the hype.
@Thunder
DeleteI'll wait to say he deserves the hype until he produces at the college level, but your points are well taken.
@Roanman
DeleteYeah - the coaches clearly targeted Speight. That said, I'm not sure how good this staff is at identifying QB talent. That's a big incomplete in my book, so a 3-star guy that hasn't impressed at camps can be taken with a grain of skepticism until Borges and company really earn our faith. Mattison and Hoke have earned it - they've proven they can identify defensive talent and develop it. Borges...jury is still out.
11
ReplyDeleteIt's funny going back to read the comments on Morris's commitment post. They're all about whether or not Michigan will take a QB in '12 with their stud '13 recruit already locked up. The general response was, "of course they'll take a QB in '12, it'd be pretty dumb not to..."
ReplyDeleteWhen I said it's "funny," I actually meant "sad and frustrating."
My guess is that Bo Dever is up tomorrow. If Dever isn't tomorrow, he is either 1.) Not on the list for whatever reason? OR 2.) He's being incredibly overrated in the countdown. Either way I think Dever should be included...
ReplyDeleteNo such luck on Bo Dever - it's Jeremy Jackson instead.
DeleteIve seen both of these QBs throw and let me tell you Wilton Speight reminds me of a younger Big Ben from the Steelers , and Shane Morris reminds me of the 3rd string QB of the Browns Sennaca Wallace , i think Morris will end up transferring when he sees Speight in Action.
ReplyDeleteI can see the Roethlisberger comparison...but the Senneca Wallace thing is completely out of left field.
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